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3 cm tumor to ilium - hip bone.

Hi,
I have recently had a confirmation diagnosis of secondary metastasis to ilium. The original bone scan had shown it was 3 cm in size but stated it looked like treated disease. 2 months later i did a follow up scan to find that it has grown slightly. I have spoken to a surgeon about cutting this cancer out to give me a better prognosis since no spread to organs. Said nothing more can be done considering the original diagnosis was inflammatory breast cancer back in mid 2006 and mastectomy in Jan 07. Was advised the cancer was resistant to chemo and radiation. I however would like to know if there is anything else I can do to stop this thing from growing and or spreading to organs. I am 40 years old and want to live as long as I am able too.

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Anon - Thanks for your question and for pushing for information that is going to help you. As a leukemia patient and breast cancer survivor I can appreciate your desire to do everything you can and am happy to help.

While it may seem like you have a bone cancer that could be addressed by removing bone, it is, unfortunately, not the case. This is a recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer. This link provides general information on metastatic cancers and addresses questions most patients have. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/metastatic

Whether metastases can be treated depends on several tumor cell factors, including the type of cancer, the degree of maturity (differentiation) of the tumor cells, the location, how long the cancer has been present, and other factors.

You mentioned that you talked with a surgeon. Have you met with an oncologist who specializes in inflammatory breast cancer treatment? If you have, then I would seek a second opinion from another specialist. If you are in a small community I would find a specialist associated with a known cancer treatment center, preferably one associated with a teaching program. I would also seek information from other patients in online support groups.

The Inflammatory Breast Cancer Foundation is a good resource for more information and support in researching your options.

Another option you may not have considered is a clinical trial. The reality of cancer treatment protocols is that new drugs can take 8-10 years or more to be approved. Patients in clinical trials get access to those treatments much earlier and it can be life-saving.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have additional questions, and feel free to touch base as you start exploring different options and seeking support.

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